Carton packer



y 1942- c. P. SWAN ETAL 19 CARTON PACKER 'Filed Nov. 2, 1939 Patented May 12, 1942 I z,zs 2,619

l )i ckso'n, Atlanta, Ga'.; assignorsto The Coca- Cola Company, Wilmington, DeL, a corporation of Delaware AppIicationiNoveniber 2, 1939, 'Serial No. 302,516 rmsims. (Cl.12 26-2 This invention relates to tlie sft-drink'industry, and moreparticularly'to the bottlin g division' thereof.

Beverages are c'oinmo'nly pla'ce'd in glasstem ta'ine'rs a-nd upsnisame bei rig sealei as by I,

of a crown cork, distributed "to the trade. In recent years a considerable 't'l-uariti tyfcjif isuch products has been merchandised in ca'rtons', the "most popular-style of whieh appears to be a device perinitting ample 'd-isplay 'iif "the i beverage which itcarries. Maii-y' ill-iris efi open type cartons are new used very yesr byootuers throughout the United Statesand the world; and

it is {with the' palcliirfg of s'lich'devicestliat this invention is primarily' coheeind'.

In bo'ttling pla'n'ts, orother pla'ces ofiasseni-bly,

line, is placed in cartons, liy workers-"especially 'assignedtothis task. in pla'cing the usual s'ix bottlesin a carton, the'viforkr must' inbve iapidly cent their carrying elements, as by being stitched,

or glued, or stapled, and accordingly do not require closing at the plant, as in the case of numerous other devices in use in the industry. In the interest of economy of space in shipping, these end-strap cartons are folded so as to lie fiat, they then being packed one on top of the other in such a manner that many thousands may be placed in a comparatively small space.

It is necessary, however, that these cartons be opened before filling, and it is also desirable that they be supported during the-time which this operation is taking place.

An object of my invention is to provide a means to support cartons while they are being filled.

Another object is to provide in a device of the foregoing type, means to facilitate the opening of such cartons.

Another object is to provide a carton packer which is simple in its construction.

A still further object is to provide a packer which is economical to produce.

Another object is to provide a device of the instant type which is simple in its operation and eficient in its action.

I These aind other objects' m'ad'e'appareiit during thefur'ther' progress- 'of this specification "are accomplished bymeans'of our-"carton packer, a full and -cornpl'ete understanding of "which'will be facilitated by referehc'e to the draw-ing herein, nw ch:

F-igQI is an enlarged view in perspective illustrating our "carton packer; a carton and bottles being shown associatedtherewith' 'l ig- 2 is an end view of the structure disclosed in Ei'g. 1-. I

V Fig. 3 is' aside view of "the instant structure, tlie carton 'ai'l'clbottles having been 'r'emoved.

Fig. {l isa top viewbf-the device illustrated in Fig. 3.

Referring to the drawing, 'i't will be seen that pamzer com rises a holding'and shaping"elem nt lll having aj' flat'bottom portion l-l',curved sl'des" I 2, slopingrodf portions l-3,a::'guide "notch l4, and a supportingfand guide bar l5. At 'one end and adjacent bottom ll may be 'fornfe'd a prdiectirrg FLguidesur face' IG, in which may be .plac'edanaperture I! to facilitatehangin'g the device up when it is not in use.

It will be noted that the distance between vertical side elements 12 is such as to enable a carton of the type in question to be readily inserted into the packer, yet at the same time prevent distortion of the sides of the carton, the measurement in question being approximately the same as the overall width of the carrier. Walls [2 may be cut away along an ascending line Na in order that a maximum of support may be present, with a minimum of interference in connection with inserting the carton into the packer and remov ing it therefrom.

Roof elements l3 engage corresponding portions of the carton, and in conjunction with notch l4, into which the lower portion of the handle slides, serve to hold same firmly in position during the filling operation. I

Special attention is now directed to supporting bar I5, which is preferably of rounded contour, and highly polished in order that a minimum of frictional resistance may be present. Element 15 prevents the upper portion of the carton from being twisted or distorted during filling, and at the same time represents an instrumentality affording no inconvenience insofar as interfering with the operation itself is concerned. It will likewise be noted that in opening the carton this element acts asa guide and lever means, enabling this function to be accomplished speedily and efiiciently.

The working of my device is as follows:

A carton such as I8 is lifted from a stack in which it is lying in folded or fiat position; ends l9 and flaps 20 slightly pried apart, and the carton brought into engagement with guide element IS in such manner as to insert same between said fiaps, the carton then being passed transversely of supporting bar l5, and downward pressure exerted the while, so that by the time handle number 2| is ready to enter slot I4, the

' wardly extending roof'segments connecting with carton is in approximately operative position. Insertion into the slot completes the positioning, I

and the carrier is filled by placing end bottles 22 and 23 therein, followed by center bottle 24, which is pressed downwardly so as to force the other bottles apart, and in turn act as a key or locking element in holding the entire assembly in place. the opposite side of the bottle carrier, after which same is grasped by'its handle and withdrawn horizontally along bar l5, upon which the filled package is ready to be placed in the channels of trade. This is repeated quickly and efliciently a great many times during the working day.

Element is preferably a casting, made of some light material such as aluminum. The de- -vice is provided with a solid end wall 12A, in

order that further support may be present at this point during the packing operation.

From the foregoing it is apparent that we have disclosed a new and useful carton packer which facilitates the filling of certain cartons currently in use. That the device is economical, simple and efficient for its intended purposes.

While we have disclosed in some detail one A similar filling operation occurs on x formof our invention, we do not intend to limit sloping sides adjacent to said bottom portion, inwardly extending roof segments connecting with said sides, a guide notch formed adjacent the inner ends of said roof segments, and a supporting bar disposed beneath said notch and extending in a plane parallel with said bottom portion.

2. Ina" device of the'character described, a holding member having a flat bottom portion, cut-away sides adjacent to said portion, in-

said-sides, a guide notch formed adjacent the inner ends of said roof segments, and a guide bar disposed beneath said notch and extending in-a plane substantially parallel with said bottom portion.

3. In a device of the character described, a

shaping element having a flat bottom portion,

fragmentary sides adjacent to said bottom portion, inwardly extending roof elements connecting with-said sides, a guide notch formed adjaprojecting guide surface extending therefrom and 

